Healthy Creative Ministry

What’s your question about communications? If you've ever felt like you're running from one last-minute project to the next, you're not alone. Church communications is genuinely chaotic for a lot of teams. In this episode, I'm sharing three practical things you can do to change that. But first, I want to be upfront about something: these aren't problems you can solve on yo...

What’s your question about communications? If you've ever felt like nobody quite gets what you do or why it matters in church communications, you're not alone. This is one of the most common challenges creatives face in ministry. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be that way.  In this episode, Matt opens up about the three primary contributors to his own experience of loneliness in cr...

What’s your question about communications? If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to grow as a Christian creative, this episode will give you some clarity. In episode 100 (!), I share why I’m merging my two communities (church staff creatives and freelance creatives) into one: The Christian Creative . After expanding my coaching to include more than creative ministry, I’ve realized that Christian creati...

What’s your question about communications? The Trend Your Church Can’t Ignore Knowledge has never been more accessible. With AI, social media, and digital content everywhere, people can find answers in seconds. But despite this, loneliness is at an all-time high. In this episode, I dive into the growing tension between knowledge and community—and why churches have an incredible opportunity if they...

What’s your question about communications? How do you adjust your work as ministry seasons shift? This week, we’re diving into the three ministry paces every church creative navigates: deep seasons, fast seasons, and balanced seasons. I’ll share how understanding these rhythms can improve your skills, help you prioritize projects, and avoid frustration when expectations clash with reality. We’ll a...

What’s your question about communications? As 2024 comes to a close, I want to take a moment to say thank you!  If you or someone you know is thinking about making the jump to freelance in 2025, I’d love your help spreading the word about The Jump Moment Podcast ( Apple Podcasts , Spotify ), launching January 21.  As we head into 2025, I’d love to hear from you: what’s the biggest challenge you’re...

What’s your question about communications? As a church creative, I’ve been through my share of Christmas chaos: long hours, last-minute changes, and the overwhelming pressure to get everything done perfectly. But what I’ve learned through seasons like this is that not all rest is created equal. In this episode, I share what I’ve learned about the seven areas of rest and how they’ve helped me stay...

What’s your question about communications? No System is good enough mechanically to overcome incompatibility with culture. This week on the podcast we jump into the traits your systems need in order to be healthy. The four traits of healthy systems are: Transparent Proactive Human Culturally compatible - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lunc...

What’s your question about communications? Systems are a critical piece of success in church communications. If you have too many, you'll make life difficult for the ministry leaders you work with. If you have too few, your life will be chaos. This week on the podcast, we'll talk through the four areas your systems need to manage. These four systems provide the structure you need for suc...

What’s your question about communications? Systems are the mechanics of getting things done in your organization. There are two indicators that your systems need work–you are consistently missing deadlines in your work or you have become the bottleneck in your organization.  In order to evaluate your systems effectively, you need to start by asking how you are contributing to the problems you are...

What’s your question about communications? This week on the podcast we dig into the difference between imagination and innovation. Often confused, but very much not the same. If we get the balance wrong, we'll actually make our message much harder to hear. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a he...

What’s your question about communications? Imagination, simply put, is the quality of ideas coming out of your communications ministry. Clarity is CRITICAL for your creative ministry to perform well. Some questions to ask (or answer if you are a ministry leader) that clarify the problem that needs to be solved: Why are we doing this? What are we trying to accomplish? What are our goals? Is this th...

What’s your question about communications? My trade convinced me that tactics were the mission. But tactics have never been the mission. And they never will be. The mission of the church should always inform our tactics. Shifting the from leading with trade will transform how effective you are in your ministry. Go from: "[trade] will help [mission]", to "I think I know a way we can...

What’s your question about communications? This week we dive into the Four Creative Cores by unpacking Heart. Heart looks at what’s going on inside the creative. It encompasses things like walk with God, interpersonal relationships, attitude, reputation (of the creatives and creative team), behavior, and your alignment with the mission of your church. Connect with other creatives looking to build...

What’s your question about communications? Success as a creative in ministry comes from building trust, not from having the most skill. This truth feels uncomfortable for creatives that value their trade, but building trust doesn't mean you  can't  be good at your trade. It just means that your skills won't have a way to impact the ministry you serve if you haven't built trust,...

What’s your question about communications? Healthy conversations are the foundation of any meaningful relationship. But if you've been employed for more than a few days, there's a good chance you've had some conversations that didn't go well. For the conversation between creatives and non creatives serving in ministry, the communications gap can be particularly big. This week o...

What’s your question about communications? This week on the podcast we take a high level look at the Four Creative Cores and learn about how they can change the way creatives and non-creatives communicate in your ministry. Heart Heart looks at what’s going on inside the creative. This core focuses on things like walk with God, interpersonal relationships, attitude, reputation, behavior, and alignm...

What’s your question about communications? This week on the podcast Matt talks about the importance of focusing on what you can control in your ministry. When you do this, you can make a simple shift in language to help your creative ideas become more understood by leadership.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lunchtime Heroes exists to he...

What’s your question about communications? This week on the podcast we look at the Church Communications Gap. Those of us serving in creative ministry are presented with a tension between our trade and the mission of our church. The more we fight for trade over ministry, the wider the gap becomes between creatives and ministry leaders. But how are we supposed to help our ministries be more effecti...

What’s your question about communications? Jargon can be good or bad depending on how you use it. If you are trying to lead change, you it's important to recognize that most ministry leaders you work alongside won't understand any of your industry's jargon.  This week on the podcast, I suggest one simple change you can make that will change the way ministry leaders hear your ideas. ...

What’s your question about communications? The Four Creative cores is language that helps navigate the tension between creatives and non-creatives serving together in the context of ministry. It's a hyper specific framework that was developed to empower churches to leverage creative ministry well and help creatives partner well with the mission of the church. As we launch into a deep dive of...

What’s your question about communications? There are three great opportunities to build a healthy creative ministry coming in the next few months. Cohort launches August 27 Sign up here: https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/cohort Church Communications Conference September 19-20, 2024 Compass Church (Dallas, TX) Sign up here: https://churchcommunications.com/church-communications-conference-2024/ I&apos...

What’s your question about communications? In this episode of the Healthy Creative Ministry Podcast, Matt Curtis discusses how to prioritize unity over fear amid the polarizing context of the upcoming election (or a frustrating day at the office). He offers three critical questions to challenge fear-inducing lies and emphasizes the importance of adhering to God's word.  This episode underscor...

What’s your question about communications? As AI continues to become more and more integrated into the tools we use daily to communicate, we need to be intentional about preserving our humanity. Throughout Scripture, we see God work through human relationships. If we offload too much of our ministry to automation or artificial intelligence in the name of efficiency, our ministry will suffer.   Don...

What’s your question about communications? If you don't have effective strategies in your communications ministry, there is a very high probability that you will always live a life of crisis management.  You’ll jump from one crisis to the next until you burnout. I’ve lived it myself, and I’ve seen it happen with multiple communication leaders over the years.  I don’t want that for you.  Build...